News

A new United Nations interagency report on the gender dimension of agricultural work says women still benefit less than men from rural employment and face new challenges due to the current economic and food crises.

October 2010 marked the 10th anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which highlights the importance of involving women in all aspects of peacekeeping and peacebuilding to conserve peace, security and livelihoods.

Agricultural cooperatives can be an effective means to empower women in rural areas and help them to overcome the constraints they face, the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement released for the 16th International Day of Cooperatives.

Tackling hunger requires moving from talk to action in ensuring that women farmers have equal access to agricultural resources and an equal voice in decision making at all levels, FAO said this week, as a high-level UN meeting put gender equality and women's empowerment at the top of the agenda.